Thursday, January 10, 2013

Trip to the Ronald McDonald House - Allison Jegla



        Friday, November 16, members of the Rotaract Club of Philadelphia volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia.  Several members had never been to the house before, so one of the staff members took us on a brief tour of the historic Swain mansion that now houses up to 45 families per night.  It was incredible to see all of the work that gets done primarily by volunteers, and how dedicated everyone is to making the families’ stays as pleasant as possible.
        When the families finished eating, a few of the children wandered over to make tissue paper flowers, snowflakes, Indian hats, and paper hand turkeys with the Rotatacters.  The kids were eager to do the craft projects, and they excitedly displayed their creations to their parents.  Later in the evening, Rotaracters had a chance to interact with some of the parents as well, as they joined in on the fun and assisted some of the youngest children with the craft making.  It was immediately clear how thankful the families are that the Ronald McDonald House exists, since it allows them to stay in the same city as their ill children.  It was so inspiring to hear the families talk about their experiences in the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia, and the Rotaracters were all happy to have shared the evening with such amazing people.      

Allison Jegla